• Johannesburg
  • Johannesburg
  • Breeders Cup Juvenile
Johannesburg

America

Johannesburg

Bay 1999 15.3½ hh
Hennessy - Myth
Distance won over: 5f. to 8.5f.


The best 2-y-o ever from the Storm Bird sire line. Won 4 G1 races in 4 different countries including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The Leading Freshman Sire In America in 2006 – by Prizemoney, No. of Winners, No. of GSW’s , No. of SW’s, No. of SH’s. Sire of 18 SW's including G1 Florida Derby winner SCAT DADDY and G1 Prix d'Ispahan winner SAGEBURG, G2 winners TEUFLESBERG, EATON'S GIFT, LOOKY YONDER and HAMOODY, G3 winners LA TRAVIATA, MARCAVELLY, BARONESS THATCHER and RABATASH. Also a leading 3rd crop sire.

Fee for 2009: $35,000

Although Johannesburg’s second dam is by MR. PROSPECTOR, his notably successful early crops confirm that he is very well suited by MR. PROSPECTOR line mares, as were his sire Hennessy and grandsire Storm Cat. As many as 9 of his Graded winners have a second line of Mr. Prospector. The great Mr. Prospector sired the dam of the Gr.1 winner Scat Daddy, plus the second dams of Gr.2 winner Teuflesberg and Gr.3 winner Rabatash. Johannesburg’s English Gr.2 winner Hamoody is out of a GULCH mare, and so is the Gr.3 winner Baroness Thatcher, who nearly won the Gr.1 Ballerina Stakes.

It must be significant that Johannesburg has followed in Hennessy’s footsteps by siring Graded winners from daughters of CARSON CITY and WOODMAN. CRAFTY PROSPECTOR sired the second dam of one of Johannesburg’s stakes winners.
The FAPPIANO branch also comes into the picture, as the very speedy La Traviata is out of a mare by his son UNBRIDLED. This is interesting as Johannesburg’s broodmare sire Ogygian is out of a half-sister to Killaloe, the dam of FAPPIANO.
For the record, Scat Daddy is inbred 4 x 2 to Mr. Prospector, whereas African Skies, Baroness Thatcher, Eaton’s Gift, Hamoody, Rabatash and Teuflesberg are all inbred 4 x 3 while Jupiter Pluvius and La Traviata are inbred 4 x 4.

Mares by other sons of Mr. Prospector, such as GONE WEST, KINGMAMBO and SEEKING THE GOLD would be very interesting options.

It is reasonable to expect Johannesburg to shine with mares with ALYDAR blood. Mares by ALYDAR and his sons have a striking record with Storm Cat and Hennessy, with SARATOGA SIX, the broodmare sire of Hennessy’s Gr.1 winner Madcap Escapade, being just one example. Alydar’s son TURKOMAN sired the second dam of Fernando Po, one of Johannesburg’s early stakes winners.

Johannesburg comes from one of the most successful families of recent years - a family which traces to Monarchy, a stakes-winning full-sister to the Champion sire ROUND TABLE. His dam Myth is a half-sister to European champion 2-y-o Minardi (by Big Brown’s sire BOUNDARY) and to the champion 2-y-o sire Tale Of The Cat (by STORM CAT). He now has two smart winners out of BOUNDARY mares, including the Gr.3 winner Jupiter Pluvius. Boundary is by DANZIG, as is DANEHILL, the broodmare sire of Johannesburg’s Gr.3 winner Ten Meropa.

Johannesburg has a stakes winner inbred 3 x 3 to STORM CAT.

Johannesburg’s second dam Yarn is a full-sister to the Gr.1 winner Preach, who in turn is the dam of Pulpit (by A.P. INDY). Mares by A.P. INDY have to be considered as Hennessy’s Gr.2 winner Toasted is out of a daughter of SEATTLE SONG, while the Graded winners Sunray Spirit and Mary Delaney have SEATTLE SLEW mares as their second dam.

Two of Johannesburg’s early winners are out of mares from the HALO line. The stakes-winning Fernando Po is out of a daughter of SOUTHERN HALO, whereas Teuflesberg has a DEVIL’S BAG mare as his dam. DEVIL’S BAG also sired the second dam of La Traviata.

It could be worth adding more DAMASCUS blood in Johannesburg’s mates as his Gr.3 winner Jupiter Pluvius is inbred 4 x 4 to Damascus, while the stakes winner Private Dreams is inbred 4 x 3.